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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Cedar Point officials were going to select 13 couples to get married at the park on Sept. 13 (Friday the 13th, the opening of HalloWeekends).

Not anymore, though; the contest was canceled following outcry over its regulations. The park maintains that it was following state law by opening the contest to only male and female couples.

The concern at the park had to do with growing "political undertones," as the Sandusky Register reports. Backlash swept across various blog and reddit, prompting park officials to back off entirely. Here's the genesis of the news, as Register writer Jessica Cuffman explains:

When Akron couple Scott Kenimond, 37, and Eric Morrison, 28, saw the original posting on the park’s blog, OnPoint, they thought they’d found their dream wedding — or at least ceremony, since they can’t legally be married in Ohio.

“He was elated. He was beside himself so happy,” Morrison said, in describing his partner’s demeanor. They’ve been engaged for a few months after meeting online, bonding over their love for roller coasters then dating for a year.

“It was one of the things that made me message him. First I thought, ‘He looks cute,’” Morrison said. “My username was WickedTwister. He knew right away I was a fan."

“Cedar Point does not take any official stance on political issues,” a statement from the park reads. And that's odd, because in many ways Cedar Point is tacitly endorsing one side of the issue over another.

Morrison's departing quote to the Register illuminates that very point: "I’m disappointed they would choose to go that way rather than stand behind their LGBT community. Ultimately, they’re playing it safe. But it’s a cowardly choice.”